HERMONT RAKITAPU.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10496, 21 October 1895, Page 4

HERMONT RAKITAPU.

Hi am Old Idextitx,

There died last week at the Maori Kaik, in WiUsherßay, a,noted character in the pertonof Hermoni Rakitapu (commonly known as Lakifcapu), the Maori chief. The old man was one of the few remaining relics of the psst, aud was known and respected by the pioneer te.tlcra of the Ciufcha. His age is not definitely known, but he must have been very, old—in all probability j close upon ICO years-tor he was a m£_ past the ! prime of life when tbe first, settleo arrived in the Clutha, now nearly 50 years ago.. Owing to his inability to speak or understand the English language freely, he has nofc had much intercour.e with the whites, but those who know _?.. ■ i-8— w-^-mo whon l sa-y tbat ne was a Christian ahd a gentleman in its true sense. He was _an honourable and trustworthy man,; and daring his long life did all m ,h- B- T ? OWBr >» influence his people for {food. He embraced tbe Christian f_ith mauy years'ago, Bnd, was, I believe, appointed a lay reader in the Church of England. At any, rate, b8 always officiated at native funerals; and to see "the old man walk with bis mere in his hand in his quiet dignified manner afc the head of the funeral procession, and fco nofce the earnest and impressive way in which he read the burial service and addressed his people round the grave, was a sight not easily forgotten. Tbe story of his life is a strange one. He was, it is said, when a young man, chief of a tribe of Maops on fche West Coast, and one day some-sailors belonging -* to a ship in the offing having landed on the beach, one of them strayed away from his mates, and was surrounded and captured by a band of Madris under Lakitapu. As these were tbe first white men they had.seen they of course looked upon them as enemies, and as according to Maori tradition it was necessary in order fco ensure Buccfss against an enemy to kill the liq* one that fell into their hands, the Maoris wanted to kill him, and would probably bave done so in spite of JLokitapu's remonstrances had he not taken his mat off and thrown ifc over the sailor, when according to Maori law he at once became invested with the mana of the chief, and was tapu-;tapn (sacred). After this event, which must have taken place early in tho present century, relations became strained between Lakitapu and his tribe, and having heard "a tradition that another tribe of Maoris were living somewhere on the banks of the bifc river, wbich flowed odt of tbe Wanaka Lake towards the ricing sun, he decided to seek thera..

Lakitßpiu afcirfced on his journey, reached ths shore of Wanaka Lake, and tasking a moki by tying a bundle of koradi together, on which he sat with his legs dangling in the water, he paddled across the lake, and Btriki_. i f the Clutha river, came down it till he reached the Maori pa which was then situated at the .bottom of Inoh-Clnfcha. He was well received,^and whether by virtue of his birth or that his new friends recognised his many good qualities, I know not, bufc be b«.tme their chief, and held the position till his death. Soon after his arriv»l Lakitapn married a young woman named Weka, whom I have heard spoken.of as being a very pretty girl, and by who-h he had several children, mesfc of • whom survive him. Up to the early sixties the Maoris used to make yearly visits up to the Pomahnka river to fish tho rftco eel at the- river's junction with fche Molynsux. They also fished for kuni kuni (lamprey) fnrther np the Pomahaka. Of one of these journeys Lakitapu. used to tell tbat while tracking his canoe along a beach near the mouth of the Kaihfcn he saw something bright on the! beach which attracted his attention, and picking ifc up, ha found ifc " oh, so heavy," bufc no good, so he threw it into the river. "That the gold" was the explanation. " Yon would nofc throw it away now, Mr Lakitapu ? " " No, no, kapi gold," he replied, for he had learned its value by .this fame. Mojfc of the old identities knew Lakitapn well in the old daye, and the writer has often heard tlie late George Hay (of Hilly Park), John Shaw (of Finegand), F. S. Pillans (of Incb-Clutha), W. A Mosley (of Inch-Clutha), R. G. Wilson (of Erl-lothe), and WiUiam Tellord (of Otanomomo) speak of him in the highest terms, and these men were no mean judges of character. /